Discover the MV Forth Hope, the ferry boat transformed into on-board hospital for the Amazon

It isn’t every day that you come across a boat that has had a refit to become an operating theatre, a dental surgery, pharmacy and more. But that is exactly what Vine Trust has done with MV Forth Hope. Now on route to healing people, their goal is to provide 2 million free healthcare consultations over the next 20 years, which works out to 100,000 consultations every year.

We are happy to know that our partners, Furuno UK are supporting this cause by equiping Forth Hope with NavNet instrument and TIMEZERO charts. Vine Trust crew is focused on providing medical support and home development to communities in both Tanzania and Peru. The key aim for them is to create lasting change through sustainable development rather than just a temporary fix.

They carry out this change in the following ways:

  • Family and children’s home construction
  • Education and social support
  • Healthcare to remote islands
  • Education to prevent disease

Forth Hope is a ferry measures 35m (117 ft) that has been refitted with an ocean-going hull

They have recently launched a mydonate where anyone can donate towards supplying medicine and healthcare to children along the Amazon in Peru. The boat has already left its home base of Leith, Scotland and on its way to Iquitos, Peru. That’s a 6,600 mile journey!

Route from Scotland to Brazil before the river journey inside TZ Navigator v3

This will Forth Hope’s maiden voyage. It was originally a ferry ship that worked along the English channel travelling from Portsmouth to Gosport,Hampshire. It has been refitted with the support of 30 marine businesses including Furuno UK with the NavNet 3D and TZ charts from Scotland to Peru provided by TIMEZERO.

You can follow their journey on their Facebook page and/or with #FloatTheBoat. You can also follow their exact position using Marine Traffic online and within your TIMEZERO software.

Marine traffic can be viewed in TIMEZERO software. The basic service allows users to see traffic of other boats even without having an AIS connected. This is because it works using an internet connection. It is a great way to plan routes by taking into account shipping lanes and general traffic in certain zones.

Download the guide on how to visualize AIS targets in TIMEZERO with Marine Traffic: